Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Harris Township, Michigan

Harris Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Harris Township limits, Menominee County, Michigan: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • The ordinance text states it was adopted August 2002 and amended July 18, 2011 and December 8, 2014; the township board approved the 2011 text on July 18, 2011.
  • The zoning administrator is a township official; the zoning board of appeals hears appeals from zoning administrator decisions.
  • Adoption date is not treated as an effective date for this claim.

  “section 902 application procedure a. any person having an interest in a property may file an application for a conditional use permit. b. applications shall be submitted through the zoning administrator to the planning commission.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Harris Township

  • The table of contents lists districts including R-1, R-2, RR, TD, RP, AP, TP and I; article III contains the district regulations.

  “r-1 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 r-2 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 rr 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 td 20,000 sq. feet 100 25 10 25 30 rp 20 acres – 25 15 25 30 ap 20 acres – 25 15 25 30 tp 20 acres – 25 15 25 30 i 1 acre 120 25 20 25 40”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential structures inside Harris Township (general regulation in article IV, applies in all districts)

  • Excludes unfinished basements, garages, porches and breezeways.
  • Excludes recreational structures from this minimum.

  minimum principal floor area: >= 600 square feet (exclusive of unfinished basements, garages, porches and breezeways; does not apply to recreational structures)

  “the minimum principal floor area, exclusive of unfinished basements, garages, porches and breezeways for residential structures, other than recreational structures, shall be 600 square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 residential one district inside Harris Township, main single-family district

  • Lot width is measured at the front setback line.
  • Section 410 exempts conforming parcels shown as lots in a recorded map or deed from the minimum lot size and lot width rules.

  minimum lot size: 1 acre · minimum lot width: 120 feet

  “schedule of regulations district minimum lot size (square feet or acreage) setback (feet) for buildings on lot minimum lot width (feet)a frontb,c side rear maximum height of buildings (feet) r-1 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 r-2 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 rr 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 td 20,000 sq. feet 100 25 10 25 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential district inside Harris Township

    “schedule of regulations district minimum lot size (square feet or acreage) setback (feet) for buildings on lot minimum lot width (feet)a frontb,c side rear maximum height of buildings (feet) r-1 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 r-2 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 rr 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 td 20,000 sq. feet 100 25 10 25 30”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 residential one district inside Harris Township, main single-family district

  • Front setback is measured from the road right-of-way (table footnote 3).
  • Where a parcel abuts a water body, the structure must be setback 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark (table footnote 2).

  front setback: 25 feet (measured from road right-of-way) · side setback: 15 feet · rear setback: 25 feet

  “2. where a parcel abuts a water body, the structure must be setback 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark. 3. the front setback is measured from the road right-of-way.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential district inside Harris Township

    “2. where a parcel abuts a water body, the structure must be setback 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark. 3. the front setback is measured from the road right-of-way.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 residential one district inside Harris Township, main single-family district

  • Height limit comes from the section 401 schedule; section 412 contains height requirement exemptions and restrictions, which were not opened.

  maximum height of buildings: <= 30 feet

  “schedule of regulations district minimum lot size (square feet or acreage) setback (feet) for buildings on lot minimum lot width (feet)a frontb,c side rear maximum height of buildings (feet) r-1 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 r-2 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 rr 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 td 20,000 sq. feet 100 25 10 25 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential district inside Harris Township

    “schedule of regulations district minimum lot size (square feet or acreage) setback (feet) for buildings on lot minimum lot width (feet)a frontb,c side rear maximum height of buildings (feet) r-1 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 r-2 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 rr 1 acre 120 25 15 25 30 td 20,000 sq. feet 100 25 10 25 30”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Mobile homes used as single-family homes in the R-1 residential one district inside Harris Township

  • A mobile home is defined as a structure transportable in one or more sections, built on a chassis, designed as a dwelling with or without permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities; the definition excludes recreational vehicles.
  • Mobile home is listed as a permitted principal use alongside single-family home; the 600 square foot minimum and other ordinance standards still apply.

  “3. 4. mobile home single-family home c. permitted accessory uses”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory (echo) housing unit on a lot inside Harris Township, in any district that allows residential dwellings

  • Requires a conditional use permit issued under article IX.
  • One accessory housing unit per lot; no more than two bedrooms.
  • Intended for a person needing assistance because of age, illness, or death of a significant other or family member.

  accessory housing units per lot: 1 count · bedrooms in accessory housing unit: <= 2 bedrooms

  “accessory housing units may be permitted in all districts that allow for residential dwellings, upon the issuance of a conditional use permit. one accessory housing unit is permitted on a lot; the housing unit shall have no more than two bedrooms.”

• Permit processPartial

  Conditional use permit applications inside Harris Township; the zoning administrator is the intake point

  • Applies to conditional uses listed in article III districts, unless otherwise provided; the planning commission approves, approves with conditions, or rejects within 60 days after the public hearing.
  • Applications require a signed conditional use form, a site plan under article VII, a written statement on the section 904 findings, a fee under the township schedule of fees, and a public hearing with notice under section 1103.
  • This does not describe zoning permits or building permits; those procedures were not found in the opened text.

  “the planning commission shall approve, approve with conditions, or reject the application within 60 days of the public hearing.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Harris Township or Menominee County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Harris Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homes inside Harris Township
• Building code adopted — Construction codes for new homes inside Harris Township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Harris Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Harris Township

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.